After a pair of dandy approach shots to the seventh green on Heritage Springs' front nine, the first to greet Mitchell's Megan and Rebecca Van Etten as they walked up the fairway was a medium-sized alligator sunning itself on the bank of a small lake to their right. ...more

September 25, 2008

(Note to some animal-rights activists who have contacted me about previous columns: In no way am I endorsing the act of striking an alligator or other reptile in the head with a stump or stump-like object. But, in defense of the actions of the aforementioned Mr. Moses, he was, as the song states, used as gator bait by his daddy and later had his left arm bitten off "clean up to the elbow.") ...more

September 7, 2008

Deputies responding to an animal nuisance call Sunday morning decided to not wait for trappers and instead took matters into their own hands when they discovered a 6-foot-long alligator wandering the streets. "We went on top of it and duct-taped his mouth and put a blanket on him," Pinellas County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Grundmann said. ...more

August 24, 2008

MELBOURNE As if a fourth straight day of rain from Tropical Storm Fay wasn't enough, weary residents are now dealing with quintessentially Floridian fallout: alligators, snakes and other critters driven from their swampy lairs into flooded streets, backyards and doorsteps. ...more

August 21, 2008

MULBERRY The handler of police canine Sam Diesel had kept the German shepherd in a portable kennel at the Mulberry Police Department in the weeks before the dog died inside a patrol car with faulty air conditioning, according to an investigative report released Tuesday by the agency. ...more

August 5, 2008

The good Samaritan who offered to pay for the surgery of a dog that may have been attacked by an alligator last week will adopt the dog this afternoon. Bob Reina, who paid for the surgery, "has reportedly fallen in love with this gentle spirit," according to a news release from Hillsborough County Animal Services. ...more

August 5, 2008

The art of alligator hunting will be discussed at a training seminar from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Florida State Fairgrounds. ...more

August 2, 2008

The fine art and nuance of alligator hunting will be discussed at an alligator hunting training seminar from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The free course is offered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The instructor is commission alligator biologist Steve Stiegler. The discussion will cover topics such as alligator programs, legal methods of hunting, areas where the annual hunt is allowed, equipment and alligator carcass processing. ...more

August 1, 2008

A good Samaritan has offered to pay for the surgery of a dog that may have been attacked by an alligator. ...more

August 1, 2008

TAMPA - A good Samaritan has offered to pay for the surgery of a dog that may have been attacked by an alligator. ...more

July 31, 2008